Sweden’s Helagsglaciär is to be covered with a massive blanket again this summer, following a successful experiment last year in which the covering protected some ice from melting.
Last year, researchers were surprised when the 40-square-metre blanket, which was laid on top of the glacier, prevented almost 4 metres of ice from melting. The unexpected results of the experiment, saving even more of the glacier than predicted, are promising for researchers who are on a mission to explore ways in which to protect the melting ice.
The project has been hailed as a wake-up call for the world, showing the effects of ongoing climate change that is shrinking glaciers in Scandinavia and other parts of the world.
Reuters reported in October that “a cloth sheet used to shield part of the Helags glacier in northern Sweden over the summer saved at least 3.5 meters in height from melting, according to organizers of the private initiative, the first of its kind in Scandinavia.”
